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Custom clear stickers with white ink: nine printers compared

A clear sticker without white ink is a tint: the colors go translucent and vanish on dark glass. Every printer on this page can put white behind the design; they differ in how you ask for it. Sticker Mule, Sticker Cutting and StickersFox add it by default, and MakeStickers prints white behind your colors too. Sticky Brand and Sticker Swan let you place it yourself in the file, and PrintRunner makes it a setting in the order form. For fewer than ten, MakeStickers and StickerIt have no minimum; for a matte clear sticker, look at Sticker Mule, PrintRunner or Sticker Swan.

CompanyWhite ink behind the designMaterial, as statedMinimumFinishProduction and shipping
StickersFox By default; write "no white" in the order notes for color only Clear vinyl with a protective overcoat 10 per design Glossy Ships 2 business days after proof approval; free shipping
Sticker Mule Automatic, behind the design Transparent vinyl Presets from 50; samples from 10 Matte 4 days; free shipping
MakeStickers Printed behind your colors Clear polypropylene with a glossy laminate 1 Glossy 2-day turnaround; free shipping
StickerIt White behind the colors Clear vinyl with an over-laminate None Gloss 4 days after proof approval; free shipping
Sticker Cutting A white layer under every color by default Clear vinyl with a gloss laminate 50 for sizes up to 6 x 6 inches; a 5-sticker test run is offered Glossy 7 to 10 days; free standard shipping
Sticky Brand By default; selective white by a labeled layer or a note Clear vinyl with a gloss film 50 Gloss Standard 6 business days or rush 3; shipping not stated
PrintRunner A "White Ink" setting in the calculator Clear film for indoor use, with a gloss laminate 100 Gloss or matte Ships in 6 business days by default, faster options in the calculator; free ground on $69 or more
StickerApp Available on transparent stickers Transparent film with a laminate A minimum applies Glossy, matte and others 1 to 2 business days; free standard shipping
Sticker Swan Controlled from your transparent artwork file Transparent vinyl with a laminate 100 (up to 2.5 inches) Gloss or matte Printing starts the same day before noon Eastern; free standard US shipping stated

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

StickersFox is one of the printers on this page and wrote it. Every fact about another company was read on that company's own website on October 1, 2026 - the pages are listed under Sources. Policies change, so check them before you order.

Why white ink decides everything

Printer inks are translucent. On white vinyl the white comes from the material; on clear film there is nothing behind the color, so a red logo over a brown bottle turns the color of the bottle. A layer of white ink under the design gives the color something to sit on.

So the useful question is never "do you print clear stickers" - everyone does - but "is there white under my colors, and who decides where". The second column of the table is the answer for each printer.

Automatic white or white you control

Automatic white suits most orders: a logo, a label, a line of text. The printer lays white under everything you printed and leaves the rest of the film clear. That is how we, Sticker Mule and Sticker Cutting handle it, and MakeStickers describes the same result.

Controlled white is for designs that mix the two effects - solid lettering next to a see-through tint. Sticky Brand asks for a labeled white layer or a note at checkout, Sticker Swan reads it from the transparency in your file, and PrintRunner sets it in the calculator. With us the simple cases are covered: white by default, or color only when you write "no white" in the order notes, and the free proof shows the design on transparent vinyl before anything is printed.

What the film is made of

StickerIt, Sticker Cutting, Sticky Brand and Sticker Swan describe clear vinyl with a laminate. MakeStickers states polypropylene, and PrintRunner describes its clear film as an indoor material. Our clear stickers are waterproof vinyl with a protective overcoat rather than a laminate film.

If the sticker is going on a bottle that gets washed, a window or a car, read the durability line on the product page you are about to order from, not on a comparison like this one. Printers word it differently and it is the one claim worth reading in full.

Minimums and small runs

Minimums for clear stickers vary widely. StickerGiant sets fifty for clear against ten for its standard die-cut stickers; Sticky Brand and Sticker Cutting start at fifty, PrintRunner and Sticker Swan at a hundred.

For a handful - a test on your own packaging, a few bottles for a market - MakeStickers and StickerIt take any quantity. We start at ten of one design, the same as for our white vinyl.

Glossy, matte, and seeing it first

Glossy clear looks wet and nearly invisible on glass; matte clear looks frosted and hides fingerprints. Ours is glossy. PrintRunner and Sticker Swan offer both, StickerApp lists several finishes, and Sticker Mule states matte.

A clear sticker is the hardest one to judge on a screen, since the screen cannot show what is behind it. Our free proof shows the design on transparent vinyl, a designer prepares it, and nothing prints until you approve. MakeStickers, StickerIt and Sticker Mule also send a proof on clear orders; Sticker Swan states that a separate emailed proof is not normally sent.

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Ready to order

Clear vinyl stickers When the surface should show through From $24.20 Die-cut vinyl stickers The default choice From $22.00

Compare every material side by side

Questions people ask

Do clear stickers need white ink?
For any color that has to stay solid, yes. Without white behind it, ink on clear film is translucent and fades against a dark surface. Leave white out only when you want a stained-glass effect.
Which printers add white ink automatically?
StickersFox, Sticker Mule and Sticker Cutting state that white goes behind the design by default, and MakeStickers describes its clear stickers as printed with white ink behind your colors. Sticky Brand does too and also accepts a separate white layer.
Can I get a clear sticker with no white at all?
At StickersFox, write "no white" in the order notes and we print color only. The PrintRunner order form also offers a fully transparent option.
Who prints clear stickers in small quantities?
MakeStickers and StickerIt state no minimum. StickersFox starts at ten per design. Several others start at fifty or a hundred for clear.
Are clear stickers waterproof?
Ours are waterproof vinyl. The other printers here describe theirs as waterproof or water-resistant; PrintRunner describes its clear film as an indoor material.
Can I get clear stickers in matte?
Sticker Mule describes a matte finish, PrintRunner and Sticker Swan offer gloss or matte, and StickerApp lists a matte laminate. StickersFox clear stickers are glossy.

Sources

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